The majority of books on employment fields are designed for individuals who are considering a particular employment field rather than for individuals wishing to advance within a field. As such/ most of these books are general introductions designed to answer important "what", "where", and "how" questions for high school and college students. They provide little useful information for older and more experienced professionals who need more detailed and advanced information on their specific employment field.
Process and Strategy Skills
The second type of career planning and job search literature concentrates primarily on developing process and strategy skills. Most of these books tell you how to develop an effective job search regardless of your particular employment field or your specialized needs. They seldom address substantive what and where questions central to finding any job. You are left to answer these questions on your own or by using other resources which focus on what jobs are available and where you can find them.
There are no surprises in this literature since most of the books follow a similar pattern in approaching the subject. The major difference is that the books are more or less readable. Most of these process books are preoccupied with "getting in touch with yourself" by emphasizing the need to "know what you want to do today, tomorrow, and the rest of your life." Some of this literature is rightly referred to as "touchy-feely" because of its concern with trying to get to know yourself - the basis for self-assessment A mainstay of psychologists, counselors, and activity-oriented trainers, this type of positive, up-beat literature is at best designed to reorient your life around (1) identifying what is right about yourself (your strengths), and (2) setting goals based upon an understanding of your past and present in the hope you will do better in the future {your objectives).
The real strengths of this literature lie in orienting your thinking along new lines, providing you with some baseline information on your strengths and goals, and providing you with positive motivation for developing and implementing an effective job search strategy. If you're looking for specifics, such as learning what the jobs are and where you can find them, this literature will disappoint you with its vagueness.
Numerous books are written on other key job search steps -especially resume and letter writing and job interviews. The resume and letter writing books fall into two major categories:
- Books designed to walk you through the process of developing a resume based upon a thorough understanding of each step in the job search process.
- Books primarily presenting examples of resumes and letters. Examples of such books are numerous - most resume and letter writing books you will find in libraries and bookstores fall in this category.
- The first type of resume and letter writing book urges the user to develop resumes and letters that represent the "unique you" in relation to specific positions and employers. They further emphasize the importance of finding a job mat is right for you rather than try to adjust your experience to fit into a job that may be inappropriate for you. These books are based upon a particular approach to finding a job as outlined in several of the comprehensive career planning and job search books.
Several books address the issue of networking in the job search. Most of these books, however, focus on formal organizations or groups and communication networks relevant to women's issues rather than on networks and the process of networking in the job search.
You will also find several job interview books designed for both interviewees and interviewers. Most of these books examine each step in the interview process - from preparation to negotiating salary.
While most comprehensive job search and interview books include a section on salary negotiations, a few books have been written on this subject. However, most of these books are now out of print, but they may be available in your local library.